HIGH POINT — Furniture retailers agree that the move online by consumers, and other changes in the customer journey over the past year due to the pandemic, have altered the role of the retail sales associate.
And a number of research studies support that.
Research from global management firm McKinsey & Co. indicates that the change in how consumers shop will force retailers to re-imagine the nature and role of physical retail. McKinsey estimates that more than half of current retail tasks are technically automatable — including checkout, changing price labels and general merchandising — and will lead to changes in the current role of the retail sales associate.
But, that doesn’t mean there won’t continue to be a vital need for RSAs. According to research for RetailEXPO, a European retail exhibition for technology and digital innovation, 64% of shoppers say that knowledgeable sales associates make them more likely to visit a physical store, and 75% of shoppers are likely to spend more money after receiving excellent service from in store staff.
Customer messaging platform Heyday.ai is predicting the rise of what its calling “the omni-sales associate,” an RSA who can work with customers in store and can also log into a platform to proactively start conversations and close sales with online shoppers, a process referred to as distance selling.
Even before today’s RSAs connect with the consumer, the change in their role starts with their how they are trained and how that training incorporates the digital world.
Sales training and skills needed
“Two years ago, most of the associate training that we did was in person. With the pandemic, we needed to transition to a totally virtual set up,” said Roger Dunlap, senior vice president of store operations for Manchester, Conn.-based Bob’s Discount Furniture.
“We are now in a better position to expand and take advantage of the new technology in order to customize and evolve our training to a more efficient hybrid model of virtual, on-line courses combined with some in person, face-to-face contact.”
Bo Concept, a multi-country Danish furniture retailer, has also transitioned its training to be more of a customized and holistic learning experience.
“It’s now self-paced; content is available for the trainee at their convenience, and learning paths are also flexible, providing a trainee the opportunity to develop the necessary skills according to their specific needs,” said Irving Siguenza, Bo Concept learning and development manager.
Siguenza added that, even on a virtual setup, facilitators are needed to activate new learnings by conducting online sessions, or open forums where the trainees get to take a break from day-to-day operations and get the opportunity to exchange experiences and practices with peers.
Hoot Judkins, a retailer in California, said that during COVID, they had to constantly train everyone on updated safety protocols, especially as those protocols changed over the course of the pandemic.
“We also developed better internal systems to keep our RSAs up to date with the ever changing landscape of price changes and staggering lead times,” said Bobby Watkins, co-owner and president from Hoot Judkins.
Several retailers said one significant push in retail training has been the need for associates to be very open and comfortable with using technology since it is how they will transact, communicate and stay connected with customers in the future.
Close ratio changes
Another new fact of retailing also impacts the RSAs’ job: Close ratios are higher today than they were before the pandemic because of store hour limitations, lower traffic and more educated clients, according to retailers.
“Those factors have increased closing ratios significantly, in many cases by more than 20%,” said Siguenza from Bo Concept. “The customer journey went from considering six furniture brands to narrow it down to two before they even walk in a store. Having a lower, but more qualified amount of leads has changed the expectations on RSAs’ behavior. Proactive and fast follow-up is demanded from RSAs. Sales-pipeline management skills are now essential.”
Watkins from Hoot Judkins and Anna Payne, vice president of EQ3, a Canadian retailer, both agree that close ratios have been helped by company websites that do a great job of weeding out the unqualified purchasers.
“Closing ratios are higher today than they were three years ago,” said Payne from EQ3. “Customers today live busier lives and store traffic has continued to decline. We train the teams to understand that if someone is taking the time to visit our store, we need to figure out their needs and satisfy them. We are also doing greater business through the phone, email and virtually.”
Dunlap said Bob’s Discount continues to see an increase in close rates as more customers are coming in better educated and have a better idea of what to expect. “Customers who come into Bob’s already having done their research, puts us in a good position,” he added.
For Florida-based City Furniture, closing rates don’t define them. “For most of us, furniture isn’t an impulse purchase,” said Andy Hill, City Furniture chief revenue officer. “So, while we certainly measure and focus on closing rates, we don’t define ourselves by it.
“For us, it’s not about closing,” he added. “It’s about creating a relationship. Did the customer have a great time? Did we create a real, meaningful, memorable relationship with them? If so, then we’ve done our job.”
Qualifications remain
Considering the need to create relationships with customers, some of the main qualifications to be a good retail sales person haven’t changed. This includes having the ability to listen, be empathetic, and have confidence and enthusiasm.
“Having retail experience used to be more valuable than it is today,” said EQ3’s Payne. “Today it is more important to recruit associates who enjoy change and are adaptable to the evolving way that customers like to shop and communicate. A warm and friendly attitude is always a must as well.”
Since most customers come into the store after having spent time on the website, Watkins from Hoot Judkins says he believes it has made the job of the RSA easier than before, since they need to spend less time trying to determine what the consumer really wants or is willing to spend.
Dunlap, from Bob’s, agrees that to be successful as a sales person, RSAs still need to be someone who cares about others and wants to serve and help them through the decision making process. “What’s changed is that you also need to be open to new ways of communicating and working with technology,” he said. “The RSAs need to be just as knowledgeable about our offerings on Mybobs.com as our customers are.”
Other retailers agree that it’s important for RSAs to know what is available both in store and also what the website offers.
“This allows them to conduct the necessary in-depth needs analysis to create the right solution,” said Siguenza from Bo Concept. “Product presentation is key, being able to communicate clearly how the product solves the problem or improves the client’s life.”
A world-altering event
Most retailers agree that the pandemic had a huge impact on the world of retail, propelling each of them to adapt tactics, processes and protocols.
Dunlap said Bob’s was able to learn and adapt very quickly, and he feels confident that the company’s technology enhancements and continued advancement in this area will only solidify the RSAs’ relationships with customers well into the future.
“COVID-19 was arguably the single strongest acceleration for disruption our generation has ever seen,” said Hill from City Furniture. “Our entire retail experience must adapt to the technological shifts, customer expectations and changing landscape. That said, shifts always regress to the mean. We anticipate technology to be a larger and larger part of our strategy, but remain steadfast in providing a great retail experience.”
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